Chapter 30: Thinking about the Future
The ox cart covered with a green umbrella set off again. The black bear sat cross-legged with his back against the cart, stroking the big white goose lying on the side with his left hand.

Diagonally opposite was Yuan Huan, who had his eyes closed and was pretending to be asleep, with no interest in starting a conversation.

But when Black Bear closed his eyes, he remembered the timid face of Cai Zhenji as she held her little nephew.

Perhaps this kind of Cai Zhenji gave him a very familiar feeling.

It has nothing to do with appearance or family background, it’s just about life experiences and the other person’s mentality.

In this chaotic world, there are countless poor women and men living a precarious life.

So the cowardly girl from a poor family is not really cowardly. It is just an attitude that is suitable for survival. Behind the cowardice is cunning, and behind the cunning is cruelty.

No matter how chaotic the world is, no one would be so cruel as to kill Cai Yong's orphan daughter.

No matter how poor the Cai clan members and nearby villagers are, they will do their best to help Cai Zhenji and her aunt and nephew. This is justice.

Cai Zhenji lives in such a very safe environment. Girls living in this safe and orderly environment have a kind of innocence and cuteness that makes him familiar and at ease.

The axles rubbed against each other for a long time, and after a long while, the servant driving the car said, "Mr. Yuan, we will reach Gao's manor in another three miles."

"Well, just go ahead."

Yuan Huan gave instructions loudly, then looked at Black Bear and asked, "What are you doing at Gao's house?"

"Worship Gao Shun."

"Do you have any history with Gao Shun?"

"My guard has a history with Gao Shun."

Black Bear asked back: "Mr. Yuan, do you want to be free?"

"Of course I want it. You took the risk of holding Yuan hostage and trying to flee to Hebei, so how could you give up so easily?"

Yuan Huan said with a smile: "If we change places, now that I have succeeded, I will not give in."

"If you are tied up and taken to Hebei, you will worry about the safety of your family and will definitely not be willing to offer advice or help. We can't let you farm and fish, you can only raise fish, which will waste the rice in Hebei."

"As the saying goes, throwing a stone to test the water, Yuan Shao has high standards. I need a stone like Yuan Jun who has a great reputation and outstanding talents to test the water."

"Even if we want to release Yuan Jun, it's not the right time. The example of the hostage general is a lesson for us."

Black Bear couldn't help laughing as he spoke, and Yuan Huan also chuckled. He probably could tell that the "Hamster General" was referring to Xiahou Dun.

At that time, Xiahou Dun was inspecting the military camp and was kidnapped by several newly trained bandits who demanded supplies and wanted to leave the camp. These people had no idea that the person kidnapped was the main general Xiahou Dun.

Later, Xiahou Dun's bodyguard Han Hao ordered the soldiers to obey Han law and not to care about the hostages and to kill the bandits together. This frightened the bandits, and they dropped their weapons and begged for mercy, after which they were all beheaded.

After defeating Lu Bu, the imperial court also investigated the truth and dispelled the rumor that it was Lu Bu who sent people to pretend to surrender and try to kidnap General Xiahou Yuanrang, and it was definitely not a sudden idea to recruit bandits.

Black Bear said, "I am a humble man, and nobody listens to me. So I would like to ask Yuan Shao to write a letter to propose an alliance with Liu Xuande and Liu Jingsheng. As far as I know, Sun and Cao are in harmony, Cao Cao is heading north, and Sun Quan is heading west, and they are about to divide the world into two."

Divide the world into two.

Yuan Huan listened with a look of surprise and looked at the black bear carefully.

It can be concluded that this kid is not from a high-class family, because two clear opposing camps have been formed since last year.

He stopped smiling and stared at the black bear: "What do you want?"

"I just want to find a pure land, but Cao Cao's laws are like a fishing net. It is difficult for common people to live in peace under his rule, and it is even more difficult for the rich to escape. If Hebei can provide me with a place to settle down, I will choose Hebei. If not, I want to go to Jingzhou."

"I hope that Yuan Jun will describe this matter in his letter. I do have a grudge against Sun and Cao. I am willing to lead the fleet around Qingxuhai Road, cross the Yangtze River across Jingyang and go straight to Xiangyang, and deliver Yuan Shao's envoy to Liu Biao."

"I heard that Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao to manage Guanzhong and it was quite effective. Guanzhong is like an arm, how can we just ignore it? Now Cao Cao's army is stationed in Chenliu, and he is looking at all directions and taking action when the time comes. Since Cao Cao wants to fight, why not send troops to Hedong. If we take Hedong, Guanzhong will be broken and Zhong Yao will have a hard time standing."

"If Cao Cao does not send troops to rescue, he will lose the people in Guanlong; if he sends troops, the momentum he has accumulated will be destroyed."

These are the solutions that Black Bear deduced based on his memories of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Ma Teng and Han Sui are still in their prime and will not easily submit.

They made Liang Province so deserted that it could not support the army and had to move to Guanzhong.

The generals in Guanzhong maintained harmony with the Inspector of the Imperial Capital Zhong Yao, not because they were in awe of him but because they each got what they needed and wanted to develop and live a stable life.

Once there is a better opportunity, or something happens that endangers their current status, these people will definitely turn against Zhong Yao.

Although there are folk rumors that Zhong Yao rebuilt Chang'an City, many people who fled Guanzhong have returned home...but this new Chang'an City is probably of no use.

Otherwise, the decisive battle between Ma Chao and Cao Cao in the future should not be the Battle of Tongguan and Weinan; the fact that the Battle of Tongguan broke out meant that before Cao Cao's army arrived, Ma Chao had already captured Chang'an City and dispersed and disintegrated Zhong Yao's forces.

Now Yuan Shao is still the Generalissimo and the Secretary of State. The nature of the letter of appointment issued by the Generalissimo's Office is similar to the edict issued by the Secretariat.

You agree that the legal effect of the Shogun's appointment order is equivalent to the imperial edict of the Secretariat.

As long as Yuan Shao was willing to give Ma Teng and Han Sui each a high-ranking official position, Zhong Yao would not be able to continue his work.

Yuan Huan stopped smiling, thought for a moment, and refused in a firm voice: "This is a strategy to disrupt the country. If you kidnap me and take me to Yecheng, Cao Gong will not harm my family, but will show his sympathy. But if I write this letter for you, even if I stay, my whole family will be in trouble."

"You mean to say that there are spies of Cao Cao in Yecheng, and they are close to Yuan Shao?"

Black Bear asked back, and seeing Yuan Huan's fierce look, he said, "Since Cao Cao will not kill your family, then follow me to Hebei. As for whether Yuan Shao listens to me or not, I don't really care."

Seeing that Black Bear was calling him by his name without any regard for others, Yuan Huan asked, "Aren't you afraid of death?"

"If I'm afraid of death, Cao Cao won't kill me?"

Black Bear asked again, and then said: "I have been killed by Cao Cao once, why would I be afraid of a second time?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it yourself. I'm not your teacher, and you're not my disciple. There's no need for me to answer your questions."

Black Bear closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, saying, "Knowledge is the most expensive thing in the world. Yuan Shao needs a prime minister of Liang who will turn from darkness to light, and he also needs a Sun Qian who will sacrifice his relatives for the sake of justice."

"He's just sick, not dead. Who can predict how the situation will change in the future?"

"If the people of Yanzhou rebelled against Cao Cao once, they will rebel a second time." "How can a large army stationed in Chenliu frighten the true warriors and wise men?"

"Once the military momentum is blocked, its momentum will collapse."

As they were talking, an ox cart covered with a green umbrella stopped at the Gao family manor.

Out of precaution against Yuan Huan, Black Bear would not take the initiative to get out of the car. Instead, he returned the sword to Yuan Huan and watched Yuan Huan get off the car first.

He then got off the car and saw that the driver looked panicked and had obviously heard the conversation inside the car.

The driver had few choices. He could either fake his death and follow the driver to Hebei, where he and his entire family would be killed if caught, or he could be killed.

Escape and report to the authorities, perhaps there might be a chance of survival, but if Yuan Huan cannot be rescued and taken away with him, this chance of survival would be very narrow.

It was hard not to feel some sympathy for the driver, as he didn't even want to kill the guard knight.

Under the system of wrongful conscription with strict accountability, anyone who wants to do things outside of their status will be punished.

Under the system of alternating labor service, the people of various counties under Cao Cao's rule had kidnapped each other and become slaves of the court in Xudu.

Everyone knows that unity can overturn the system of wrongful conscription in one fell swoop, but the person who stands up first will definitely suffer the most brutal blows and retaliation.

It is not as simple as just killing the whole family. Cao's army must break into the city and slaughter everyone, so as to effectively warn others who are eager to try.

While Black Bear was looking around, the male leaders of each branch of the Gao family were already welcoming Yuan Huan in front of the manor gate.

The Gao family and the Cai family rose to prominence together during the Xinmang period, so the manors of the two families were of the primitive type.

The manors that developed in modern times tended to be more economically self-sufficient. The main people living in the manors were skilled workers and slaves, while those outside the manors were tenants, among whom there were also retainers, who could be widely referred to as retainers.

Old manors like the Gao family have been divided over the past two hundred years, and their land and property have been divided and scattered among various ethnic groups. In terms of resource integration efficiency, they are not as good as new manors.

After all, retainers and retainers only need to be provided with food and clothing. These people do not have original shares, and it is even more difficult for them to inherit or split the industry through blood relatives.

This is not true. The soldiers in the new-style manor have now become the main property.

Therefore, the owner of a new-style manor is just one family living together, with unified opinions. Unlike the old-style manor, which is called a manor, there is no difference between it and a village community. It lacks a core and does not have a dictatorial or arbitrary leader.

Precisely because the Gao family had been disbanded, and a group of close Gao family members including Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan were working in Hebei, it was difficult for the Xudu court to hold other Gao family members accountable.

They and Gao Gan and Gao Rou were already three or five generations apart, and even the extermination of three or nine clans was not enough to destroy them.

The Gao family members surrounded Yuan Huan to have dinner, and Hei Xiong also had several young men from the Gao family specially arranged to receive him.

After introducing themselves to each other, Black Bear pointed at Lü Bu, whose face was covered by a white robe, and said to the three Gao family boys, "This guard of mine once served under Marquis Wen, and was a commander of a hundred men in the Xianzhen Camp led by General Gao. I am now passing through Yu County, and have come to pay my respects to General Gao."

The young men of the Gao family all looked sideways, and Black Bear controlled the Taoist soldier Lu Bu to bow slightly as a greeting.

The young man in the lead asked, "Brother Sun, how do you want to worship?"

"It will be fine if it is simple. I know that General Gao is a strict person who never drinks alcohol. I will just take a plate of wheat cakes as a sacrifice. Are General Gao's relatives and descendants here?"

"After the mourning period ended, the five brothers Jun went to Yizhou."

A young man explained, "He has relatives in Yizhou, who said they could escape the chaos in Yizhou. After repeated dissuasion from his clan, they finally let him go."

"It seems we are late."

Black Bear sighed and took out a bag of five-zhu coins and handed it to the leader on the opposite side. After saying a lot of words, the other party reluctantly accepted the more than thirty five-zhu coins.

The man led Black Bear and his servant to the Gao clan's tomb, and sent the other two people to get wheat cakes for the sacrifice.

Along the way, he also told Black Bear about the life experience of his distant uncle. In fact, Gao Shun followed Lu Bu very late.

After being driven out by Li Jue and Guo Si, Lü Bu led dozens of cavalry out of Wuguan. He first took Dong Zhuo's head to Nanyang to see Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu refused to support Lü Bu and drove him out on the pretext that Lü Bu had looted supplies.

So he went to Hebei to meet Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao was unwilling to recommend Lü Bu to be the governor of a county.

If the two Yuans did not speak up, the officials in various prefectures and counties would naturally not recognize Lu Bu.

After Lu Bu helped Yuan Shao defeat the Black Mountain Army, Yuan Shao became wary of him and recommended him to be the Inspector of the Imperial Guards to deal with Li Jue and Guo Si, and Yuan Shao sent thirty armored soldiers to escort Lu Bu to his post.

These people planned to assassinate Lu Bu at night, but Lu Bu realized something was wrong, so he played the piano all night and exchanged armor with his cousin Wei Yue.

When the assassination plan was launched, only Wei Yue was killed, while Lu Bu successfully escaped.

When the news reached Ye City, Yuan Shao hurriedly closed the city gates, fearing that Lu Bu would lead dozens of brave cavalrymen to break into the city, break open the gates, and kill his entire family.

He sent people to chase and kill him, but after the soldiers caught up with Lu Bu, they dared not get close to him, so Lu Bu was able to escape.

After the falling out, Lü Bu fled to Hanoi and relied on his good friend Zhang Yang. Li Jue and Guo Si issued an imperial edict ordering Zhang Yang to kill Lü Bu, but Zhang Yang remained unmoved.

Li Jue and Guo Si had no choice but to appoint Lu Bu as the governor of Yingchuan County. When Lu Bu went south to Chenliu, he got acquainted with the governor Zhang Miao.

After arriving in Yingchuan, Lu Bu recruited soldiers from the county and promoted Gao Shun, who was serving as a county lieutenant. After that, the people of Yanzhou welcomed Lu Wenhou to take office as the governor of Yanzhou, and the battle for Yanzhou broke out.

Gao Shun had been in the army for a short time, but he had a brilliant record and the name of the Xianzhen Camp was feared throughout the Central Plains.

The younger generations of the Gao family naturally admired and felt sorry for Gao Shun, who died in his prime.

Soon they left the Gao family manor and came to a large cemetery, where they found the graves of Gao Shun's descendants.

The tomb with a slightly taller mound is that of Gao Shun. After all, he was the Left General and the General of the Central Army recommended by Lu Bu, the Governor of Xuzhou, and his position was higher than that of a county governor.

As you get a little closer, you can see the words "Tomb of Gao Jun, the Former General of the Central Army of Xuanwei in the Han Dynasty" written on the tombstone.

The black bear glanced at the Taoist soldier Lu Bu, but did not sense any unusual emotions from the other party.

I couldn't help but feel a little regretful, but also felt at ease.

He casually raised his hand and threw a piece of black magic power into Gao Shun's grave.

(End of this chapter)